SANFORD - Amy Dumas, who's lived "all over, but mostly in the South," began her sampling tour through life in Atlanta where she graduated from high school and attended college.

"I studied secondary education because I'd always wanted to be a middle school teacher. Somehow, this age that a lot of people consider difficult has a real appeal for me. These kids are capable for the first time of learning life's lessons, and I wanted to be a
part of the process." Being "part of the process" also meant following her basic instincts
and exploring whatever was out there, so Amy was playing bass guitar and performing with local bands at the same time. "And, being a spur- of-the-moment type of person, I decided to take up martial arts as well," she says. This is when something clicked - the idea that fusing a rock star image with a martial arts role could be a winning combination in the entertainment world - and education was pushed to the back burner.

The story could have ended here, either with Amy's successes on stage or a return to her original objective in the educational field. However, it detoured when a friend insisted that she watch the wrestling matches on television. "It was something I'd never done
before, but looking at the performers I found myself getting really excited and thinking, 'Well, since I'm already far into studying martial arts, why not make wrestling my next move?'"

THIS WAS 1998, and a Mexican movement wrestling style called Luche Libre was all the rage, "something more acrobatic than regular wrestling," Amy says. "So I located a school in Mexico City and started training for the ring." Because what she was doing felt right from the very beginning, Amy says she worked hard to get noticed in smaller federations, always keeping an eye on a larger goal, constantly refining her act and forwarding videotapes of her matches to World Wide Entertainment.

"Getting noticed is what it takes," she says. "It's all a matter of being in the right place at the right time." The breaks were with her and by November 1999, Amy had scored the big one. In one year, far less time than it takes most wrestlers to get there, she was added to the roster of WWE stars as "Lovely Lita." The designation stuck, although Amy says there was a time lapse before she got used to the new moniker.
A name change wasn't the only surprise in store for the pulchritudinous pugilist when she joined. "Along the way I'd met Matt Hardy from Cameron, when we were both wrestling in independent shows; and when I got to WWE, I found he was there as well. Soon we were being teamed on the circuit, sometimes in a threesome that included
Matt's brother, Jeff. Initially there was nothing serious between us other than our common interest in wrestling, which Matt eats, sleeps and breathes.

"However, he recognized my determination and dedication and respected me for what I was doing and gradually a strong connection was formed. You can't say we became an immediate item, but our careers meshed and we've remained close ever since. We have an 'on camera/off camera' relationship in a business where illusion is primary Š where it's
difficult to tell the real from the imaginary.

"For us, it's perfect. With two people who are constantly busy Š on the road three hundred days a year and regularly performing in fifty three different countries Š time for outsiders would doubtless have been impossible anyway." Most importantly, says Amy, their friendship brought about a big change in Matt's life. "Although he'd never been a big animal lover, he knew what dogs mean to me and came to accept that as a given in our relationship."

WITH A SUCCESSFUL CAREER and a wonderful man in her life, Amy's story appeared to be heading toward a fairy tale ending at this point. Then her saga turned into a nightmare.

It was April 2002 when Amy, who'd been hired to do the season's finale of the Fox TV series "Dark Angel," was engaged in a colossal fight scene when something terrible occurred. "The stunt person with whom I was working dropped me on my head and, although I didn't realize it at the time, my neck was broken." At first, while she couldn't lift her left arm, Amy says she wasn't worried because she could feel movement in her fingers and toes. "Injuries are very common in wrestling, so I wasn't that concerned. Just figured it would take a while to get over the numbness. But, the pain increased
instead and after another examination the doctors determined that I actually did have a broken neck."

Following this diagnosis, Amy was flown to San Antonio to go under the knife of a neurosurgeon noted for working on injured paratroopers. "Suddenly I was severely limited physically. From exercising in the gym seven days a week I had come to a screeching halt, and it was nightmarish."

After surgery Amy was fitted with a hard collar, which she had to wear constantly for the next four months. "If my profession had been normal, something like a desk job, I probably could have been back at work in a few weeks. Instead, I was housebound and thoroughly depressed. I'd just moved to Sanford when it happened, and the only
people I knew were my immediate neighbors."

WRACKING HER BRAIN about how to occupy herself "to keep from falling into an even deeper depression," Amy thought of what she'd done as a teenager. "Growing up, my father would never allow me to have a pet at home. So I'd worked at kennels and pet shops and with a vet, just to be around animals." After her 18th birthday, Amy moved away and got her very own dog from the Atlanta Humane Society. She named him
Cody, and they were inseparable until he passed away in April 2003.

Even though she was wearing the hard collar, Amy was still doing promotional work for WWE. "I was making personal appearances and signing autographs about once every week or two, but I had extra time on my hands. So I started volunteering at CARA here in Sanford and at Moore County's new arrival center for animals. I needed that boost you get from animals, just hanging out and talking to them, cleaning cages and doing light stuff. Also, I particularly couldn't stand being alone in the house after Cody died of cancer."

Bringing another pet into her life so soon after Cody's death didn't seem an option to Amy, who was still grieving for her best friend and getting ready to go on the road as soon as the surgeon gave his OK. "I go back to San Antonio every two months for check-ups and to get a new prescription for my activity level," Amy explains. Although
she works out regularly at Nautilus, she says this can't possibly replicate the pounding that goes on in the ring. "The surgeon is a great man, who understands what my professional life means to me," she continues.

"So, instead of telling me never to go back, he's teaching me to be totally aware of my body and how to stay on top of any injury that might occur."

SIX WEEKS after Cody's death a tiny wire-haired Dachshund and Lhasa apso mix pup was dumped by his former owner at the Moore County Animal Control Center.

It took one look and Amy had a new best friend, a cunning animal who knew what he wanted and used his wiles to get it. "I had nothing to do with it. Mason selected me," Amy confesses. "I call him my little pocket pet, and he goes every place with me. He loves airplane trips and thoroughly enjoys autograph sessions where he shows off like a
little ham."

Determining to make use of Mason's star power, Amy says she decided to stage "a last hurrah for pets before I return to work full time. It's a local kickoff for my latest project, A.D.O.R.E. (Amy Dumas Operation and Rescue), at Aberdeen Lake Park, as a way of strengthening my bond with the community. We're calling it Lita's ADOREable Pet Celebration, a celebration to promote animal welfare and a day of fun for pets and people. There will be a ton of activities, and all the proceeds will be donated to Carolina Animal Rescue and Adoption and the Moore County Animal Center."

AMY'S PLATE, which was already brimming, will soon be even fuller. When she wasn't doing promotions for WWE or volunteering at the rescue centers, she was writing a book, "A Lesser Traveled ROAD - The Reality of Amy Dumas," which will be published by Simon & Schuster in September. Due date is the 16th, and shortly thereafter Amy will be on the road for a dual purpose. "My author's tour is being set up to coincide with wrestling events," Amy says. "So that means a fall of travel for Mason and me. But he loves it, and as long as he's with me, everything will be fine."

Obviously, Mason is finding that a dog's life can also turn into a surprisingly sumptuous banquet.

Credit: Anne Marie and the Sanford Herald